Currently not on view
Comte Grégoire Stroganoff,
1859
André Adolphe-Eugène Disdéri, 1819–1889; born Paris, France; active Paris and London
1995-138
In 1854, Disdéri invented the carte-de-visite, or visiting card. He used a camera with multiple lenses that could be opened and closed to make four, six, or eight different images on a single photographic plate. Because each image was exposed at a different time, sitters like Comte Strogonoff could change poses for each shot. Photographers often provided backdrops, drapery, furniture, props, and even clothing so that sitters could create the appearance of wealth, learning, or social standing that they wanted to share. Prints of full plates such as this one would be cut into individual images and pasted onto visiting cards, like the one on view above.
Information
Title
Comte Grégoire Stroganoff
Dates
1859
Medium
Albumen print
Dimensions
20 × 23.1 cm (7 7/8 × 9 1/8 in.)
Credit Line
Museum purchase, anonymous gift
Object Number
1995-138
Place Made
Europe, France, Paris
Inscription
Inscribed in ink on label affixed to mount, below center of image: 13700 Comte Stroganoff 1859
Marks/Labels/Seals
In negative, left center along bottom of second frame: 13700
Culture
Techniques
Subject
